


Hey There!

by amonkeysue



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, MCU and Batverse coexist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-10 06:16:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3279833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amonkeysue/pseuds/amonkeysue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steph is visiting New York on very serious Batman-related business, which is not as fun as Bruce would want to make it seem. That withstanding, visiting New York gives the opportunity to make a new friend (and spread the waffle love).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hey There!

Why, _oh why_ , had she even accepted the request to go up to New York as the Bat-ambassador to the Avengers? (For the record, Bruce had never said Bat-ambassador, but Steph thought it sounded much cooler, partially since she was pretty sure Bruce just didn’t want to go talk with Tony Stark. After all, he might say something snarky.)

She was on summer break. No reason to try and miss a few days of classes.

New York did get her away from Damian’s smart little mouth, curse the lovable kid.

No, Steph had decided to travel up to New York as both a way to help superhero relations and meet Captain America. The latter having jumped to mind almost immediately as soon as Bruce had talked to her. Woops.

Meeting the Star Spangled Man aside, she was stuck somewhat regretting having said yes to this.

Somehow she just didn’t want to sit in her hotel room and attempt to catch something good on TV. The thought that tomorrow she’d be talking with the Avengers in an effort to keep all parties appeased with boundaries and conditions of working together didn’t exactly lend itself to easily slipping into a blissful slumber. 

Going out on a low-key patrol was entirely out of the question.

Going out for food was entirely acceptable.

Not fast food. Tracking down someplace with super great waffles could take time, and admittedly she didn’t have all night, just a greater part of the evening.

Babs always talked up frozen yogurt and Steph had seen a place not that far from the hotel.

Eh, no time like the present to try something new.

\--

Darcy loved Jane, but when it was just her and Jane in the apartment and Thor dropped by to be all couple-y with Jane, Darcy both needed some room and felt obligated to give them some space.

Which also happened to leave her in something of a complicated spot a lot of times.

With pre-warning for when Thor and Jane were planning on a stay-at-home date or general hangout, Darcy could arrange for a movie night with someone at Avengers Tower or something. Out of the blue though, she felt bad to try and drop herself into any activities at the Tower on the corresponding night, no matter how much anyone reassured her she wouldn’t be a bother.

In the last few days she had had decidedly enough of non-necessary shopping while helping Pepper pick out decorations for the nursery. That was a whole different story.

It was only a Tuesday night, and she was not going to hole herself up in her room with Netflix to pass the time until Thor left.

Shopping was a no. Even if there were something she really wanted to see at the movies, she hated the idea of going alone.

Froyo had never failed Darcy yet, thank goodness, so froyo it would be.

“You two have fun, I’ll be back in a few hours, bye!” Darcy hurriedly yelled to Thor and Jane before rushing out the front door.

\--

A part of Steph’s brain consciously realized that the only open seats were next to her at the table in the corner. The other part was caught up in the delicious fruit and chocolate combo she had opted for. Babs was so, so beautifully right about the wonders of froyo.

The brunette taking a seat next to her took Steph somewhat by surprise.

“Hi, sorry, is anyone else supposed to be sitting here?”

Steph quickly swallowed down her spoonful. “Nah, it’s just me. Feel free to sit.”

Okay, brunette with gorgeous hair and glasses that just approached her out of nowhere. Would SHIELD feel the need to monitor Steph? Or was this really just a random person who just wanted to eat their froyo at an actual table?

Probably better not to ask directly, Steph figured.

“Oh man, Nutella, why didn’t I think to put that on?” she instead asked.

Darcy smiled. Definitely worth opting to sit down inside rather than take her froyo to the streets if she got the chance to talk to someone. “Hey, at least you grabbed the cookie dough bites. Those are always worthwhile.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s good.” Steph glanced down back at her bowl before looking back with a smile of her own. “Hi, I’m Stephanie. Well, technically I go by Steph.” She extended her hand.

“Hi Steph, I’m Darcy.”

The two women shook hands.

“Y’know, I think we’re the only two people in this shop that aren’t already with someone else.”

With a shrug, Darcy laughed. “I needed something to do to give my roommate and her boyfriend some space. Sadly going out alone is what follows. You?”

“Er, I’m out here on a business trip.” A second later Steph frowned. “Wait, that doesn’t sound quite right.” She set her spoon down to point as if an imaginary map sat in front of her as she spoke. “I’m in New York on business, here eating froyo because I wanted something to do before my big meeting tomorrow other than spend the night cooped up in my hotel. There we go, all in the right order.”

“Don’t businesses usually give you enough stuff to do along the way?” Darcy curiously asked in between bites.

It was Steph’s turn to shrug. “This is a special arrangement anyhow, and I’m on break from classes, so it’s all weird.”

“Special arrangement as in intern, or something different?”

Steph chuckled as a picture of her and Damian grabbing coffee and Batarang pieces for Bruce and Alfred came immediately to mind. She quickly covered with, “Nah, I’m more like a consultant. Who also happens to get sent for meetings.”

Technically accurate enough.

No need to mention the whole masked vigilante thing if it didn’t have to come up.

Glossing over the details was sufficient for Darcy. “Anything in New York you’re just dying to see then?” she asked.

From the way Darcy shifted and started to poke at her remaining bits of froyo, Steph could tell she was a little anxious, anticipating a hopefully positive response to her question.

It was only seven. She could guess that both women had time to kill.

“Does Captain America count?” she replied, only half joking to Darcy.

A question she had never heard before when talking about New York sightseeing. Admittedly, most of her friends being Avengers and hanging out with Steve fairly often did give Darcy something of a bias, but still.

“Only if you know how to run into him or get into Avengers Tower, I think.” Maybe she should ask Steve to start wandering around New York to take some of the spotlight off of spotting Tony. The tourists would love it.

“That’s okay.” Steph flapped a dismissive hand. Her Captain America visit would come the next day anyhow. “Never hurts to ask, right? But otherwise, I dunno. I’ve only got a short visit anyhow. Tourist traps didn’t rise up my priority list at all.”

“I’ll give you that. If you’re at all interested- and you don’t have to be, that’s cool, I’m just saying if you would happen to be- in finishing your froyo and then maybe letting a local just show you some of the fun of the New York experience for a few hours, I’d be happy to oblige.”

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude on your time at all.”

Darcy ruefully shook her head. “Roommate has the boyfriend over. I’m practically going out of my way to waste time just to be nice. You’d be helping me.”

“Okay,” Steph nodded, “thanks Darcy.”

She broke out into a grin. “No, thank _you_ , Steph. But first, this froyo isn’t going to eat itself. Bon appétit!” she said, a little gleeful.

\--

The previous night had been fun. Somehow Darcy and Steph accidentally stumbled into an amazing waffle place, and the walls had been purple. Beautiful, oh so beautiful purple. Steph had joked she was about to faint at the sight.

But no more of the night prior, she had to adopt her best rendition of Bruce’s super serious face and try not to freak out about meeting Captain America.

_Play it cool Steph, play it cool_ , she kept on telling herself. _You’re representing the Batman and surrogate family. The Batfamily? Yeah, the Batfamily._

Stark’s AI greeted her in the lobby of Avengers Tower and directed her to the elevator. 

It probably wasn’t appropriate to ask for elevator music.

A woman Steph recognized from various news reports as the Black Widow was nearest to the elevator when it dinged open. 

Apparently the Avengers held important meetings in the lounge? Damian would probably throw a fit about that. While Tim laughed with her about it in the background.

The Black Widow nodded at Steph before saying, “Ahem, guys, Miss Brown is here.”

Stark and Barton had been flipping through TV channels with someone who Steph couldn’t quite see thanks to Captain America walking up to her and extending a hand for her to shake.

“Miss Brown, pleasure to meet you. I hear you do some great things for Gotham.”

“Um, thanks.” She was afraid it came out as more of a squeak than actual words.

She was almost distracted enough not to notice the woman who had stepped away from the couch and headed for the elevator, only to stop several feet off from Steph while looking at her.

“Wow, small city. Batgirl visits and I meet her. That’s awesome,” Darcy commented with a wide smile.

Steph nearly started in surprise. “Wait, aren’t you an astrophysicist’s intern?” Something didn’t add up.

“Yeah… but we’re also in the Avengers circle. I would explain, but it might still be confidential.”

All aspects of the ‘keep it cool like Bruce’ mentality evaporated as Steph exclaimed, “That’s so cool!”

“Yeah, it’s fun. But I should probably leave you to that very important meeting you’ve got here, Miss Brown.”

“Hey, no reason not to call me Steph.”

Tony quickly cut into the conversation. “Darcy, if you’ve made a friend with Gotham’s resident Batgirl, you might as well stick around. I think we all trust you not to go spilling anyone’s secrets.”

“And afterwards I’m gonna try and get as much of this story out of you as I can over waffles,” Steph beamed.

Darcy laughed. “Okay, okay.”

Steph happily declared, “This is gonna be the start of a beautiful friendship, I can already tell.”

**Author's Note:**

> No, I am not at all obsessed with frozen yogurt in the least, why do you ask? :) (Seriously though, that stuff is life.) Anyone with me for making meeting over froyo a fanfic trope though?


End file.
